On Monday afternoon, I watched Mike as he studied my wound. He was pleased with it, but still concerned over how slow the healing process was. Even humans healed faster than I was now. Well, I guess he wasn’t concerned about my healing process as much as he was about my plan to go check out the penthouse.

“Don’t get me wrong, I like you and I like your clinic, but I need to get the hell out of here,” I told him with a friendly smile. “I’m getting stronger now. And that means I’m bored.”

He let out a deep sigh and let my shirt fall back down. “I obviously can’t stop you, but–”

“Great! I’ll call Marcus,” I said and reached for the phone Mike had brought to me.

I’d already called Marcus Storm, the owner of Storm Enterprises, about the penthouse to ask several questions, and I really liked what I heard. He was glad to help me out with some minor difficulties I would come across if I wanted to buy the penthouse.

Now I just needed to go see the place. Seeing the penthouse wasn’t the only thing I was excited about. I really needed to get out of the clinic, even for a few hours. The only reason I hadn’t gone crazy was Riley, and he was now facing a long week of long hours in school. He could only stay with me a few hours every evening, and I was left alone for the rest twenty-two before he came to visit me again.

Marcus helped me to schedule a private tour in the penthouse for the next day, since it was supposed to be another rainy day. I was feeling happy and excited when I ended the call, but then I checked the clock. It was still three in the afternoon… It would take a few hours before Riley came to visit me. I suppose Mike noticed the immediate drop in my mood, since he raised his brows in amusement when our eyes met.

“You like the human,” he noted.

“I’m supposed to be the one with mind-reading powers,” I said with a snort, but then smiled. “I don’t know… He’s very… Special.”

“I have noticed it, yes,” Mike said. “Lucky for you, he seems to think you’re special as well. You two really hit it off right away.”

“In a platonic way,” I said sternly.

“Sure,” he said with a smirk, and I shook my head.

“I should not get too attached to a young human like him,” I said. “So this will stay platonic.”

“Age is just a number for as long as you’re both consenting adults,” Mike said with a wink. “Just saying…”

“Please, let’s not do this,” I asked quietly.

“Sorry, of course,” he said. “I am glad you found yourself a new friend. I’m actually surprised you let him in that easily. You’re normally so… reserved.”

“And for a good reason. I wouldn’t be here if I didn’t need to be careful about who I trust,” I reminded him.

“Have you thought about what to do with Elijah?”

I shook my head, the anxiety rising in my chest because of the mere thought of him. “I have to inform the council I was attacked. I doubt it will lead to anything, though…”

“Perhaps they will now listen to you. I documented your injuries as proof. The least they can do is give you a bodyguard. They now have a reason for it.”

“Gah…” I waved my hand at him. “Another person to be bribed. I don’t need a bodyguard.”

“I beg to differ,” he muttered. “You could hire your own. The Storm orcs have a good reputation.”

I let out a deep sigh. “I just want to be excited about the penthouse, if you please.”

“Of course,” he said and bowed at me like I was royalty.

He stayed for a moment to keep me company, but then he had to go check up on his other patients. I endured the few tedious hours alone until Riley arrived, and then I got to be excited about the penthouse for a few hours.

And then he had to leave. Time really was ruthless to me, but I tried to stay in high spirits through the rest of the long evening and even longer night.

But it was not easy. Not at all…

“So! How are we going to do this?”

I peered up at Riley, then at the wheelchair next to my bed. Mike stood behind the damned thing, squinting his eyes at Riley.

“You shouldn’t encourage this,” he said.

“I promise we’ll be very careful,” Riley told him. “I’ll make sure he stays in his chair.”

“Good luck making him use it,” Mike said, and they both turned to look at me.

“Sirius wouldn’t say no to me, right?” Riley asked with a smirk.

“Fine…” I muttered, rolling my eyes at both of them.

I let them help me get out of the bed and sit down in the wheelchair. I’d tried to move as slowly as possible, but the wound still ached even after I was comfortably seated. I didn’t let either of them know about it. They’d only make an unnecessary fuss over it.

“Is this good?” Riley asked, while I tried to arrange my clothes.

“This is perfect,” I said reassuringly.

“What’s next?”

I turned to Mike, who let out a weary sigh and picked a small bottle from his pocket, giving it to me.

“This will be quite hard on your body,” he reminded me.

“It’ll be fine. I need to disguise myself,” I said, bringing the bottle in front of my eyes. The thick, green liquid in it didn’t look tasty, but potions rarely were. “This will turn me into someone else,” I told Riley.

“Really?” Riley asked with wide eyes. “Who?”

I glanced at Mike, who shrugged.

“I asked for an old man,” he only said. “That’s all I know.”

“You asked from who?”

“The potion master I ordered the potion from.”

“You have potion masters?”

“A topic for another time, I’m sure,” I said sternly, pulling the cork off. “For good health,” I said, and drank it all.

Both of them stared at me, Riley more curious than Mike. Nothing happened during the first couple of seconds, but then the transformation started. The changes were subtle, but my skin turned really itchy as it grew old and wrinkly in front of our eyes. I did feel shifting inside my body, but since I was only turning into a human, it only lasted for a few seconds.

I looked up at Riley, whose eyes had never been as wide as they were now. He blinked a few times in confusion, then burst out in a wide smile and excitement.

“That was so cool!” he said. “Can I try it sometime?”

“Potions aren’t made for fun,” Mike said. “Many of them will have nasty side effects.”

“There’s side effects?” Riley asked, turning worried.

“Nothing too severe with this one,” I said hastily, feeling odd when I didn’t hear my own voice, but the voice of a very old man. “Some minor muscle ache, headaches and fever.”

“Oh. Why didn’t you tell me?” Riley huffed.

“Because I knew you’d try to stop me,” I said with a grin. “Can we please get going now?”

“Are you sure you want to do this?” Mike asked one more time. “You are putting yourself through–”

“I’m sure,” I said before he could finish his sentence and annoy me even more, and turned to Riley. “If you please…?”

He let out a short chuckle, shaking his head. “Sure,” he said and stepped behind my wheelchair.

As he pushed me to the door, I saw a glimpse of myself in a mirror. I was really wrinkly and old, and there was no chance someone could recognize me. Just to be sure, I’d used a hefty amount of cologne to hide my scent – even though the potion had changed that as well – and even had a big, old-fashioned hat to hide most of my features. If someone could tell who I really was, they deserved to kidnap me.

“Don’t stay out for too long,” Mike told us in a hushed voice when he opened the door for us. “Call me if you need anything. Call me when you get back so I can make sure the coast is clear. And remember, three hours. After that, the potion wears off.”

I tried not to get irritated by him. He was only concerned. He meant well, but I’d not seen the outside world in ages. I loved the outside world. Staying indoors was so… dreary.

And my lord, when Riley pushed me through the laundromat doors and the fresh, clean air hit my senses, I never wanted to go back inside. I didn’t care about the rain on my face. I welcomed it like a long-lost friend.

Okay, yes, I was being dramatic, but my fucking lord, it was good to get out of that clinic.

Riley’s car was parked right in front of us, and he hurriedly pushed me to it to get us out of the rain. He and Mike hovered over me while I moved to sit in the car, making sure I was still fine, and then put the wheelchair in the trunk.

I glanced at the backseat of the car. Riley had mentioned the bloodstains I left behind, but they were all gone now after Mike gave him soap that we vampires often used to clean up our mess after dinner.

Mike came to ask me one more time if I was sure what I was doing, but I closed the door in his face and waved goodbye. He and Riley exchanged a few words before the latter joined me in the car and turned on the engine.

“This is exciting,” he said with a smirk. “How do I call you while we’re there?”

“As Samuel Hill,” I told him.

“Oh? That doesn’t really suit you,” he said with a chuckle. “It sounds so boring.”

“It does?”

“Yes. Sirius is much prettier.”

“I see. However, Samuel Hill happens to be my real name,” I said, studying his face when his expression dropped, and he hurried to apologize to me. I just laughed and waved him off. “Don’t worry, I feel the same. I was given the name Sirius by my sire. It’s the only positive thing he did for me. You can obviously guess what kind of names my brothers and sisters had.”

“Venus? Orion? That kind of names?”

“Exactly.”

“But if that’s your real name, should we avoid using it?”

“It can’t be helped since I need to use my own name in case I want to buy the apartment. Not many know of my real name. I doubt even my enemy knows about it.”

“I really hope so.”

“It’s a boring and forgettable name, don’t worry. No one should recognize me.”

The drive to the location wasn’t horridly long. The penthouse was just on the other side of the center, so it was barely a twenty-minute drive. The person – an elf – who was supposed to give us the tour was already waiting for us when Riley parked the car in the visitor’s space, and I didn’t miss the man wrinkling his nose at Riley’s Toyota as we were getting out of the car.

“Mister Samuel Hill, I presume?” the tall man asked with a pretentious smile once I was sitting in my wheelchair and Riley locked the doors.

“That is me,” I told him and shook his hand once we were close enough, trying not to show anyone the pain I was in.

The wound really didn’t like all this moving…

“Silas Green,” the elf introduced himself.

“I have high hopes for the penthouse. Everything I’ve heard so far sounds almost too good to be true!”

“I can assure you, Mr. Hill, everything you have heard is true,” he said, gesturing for us to follow him to the doors.

And so began the long introduction. As we walked through the entrance hall and past the security to reach the elevators, Mr. Silas told us about the owners and why they were selling the penthouse. Once we got in the elevator, he proceeded to tell us about the short history of the building. It was clear the elf was not quite impressed with our appearances, but he remained polite nonetheless. I understood him. We weren’t wearing our Sunday suits exactly.

A short moment later, we reached the top floor, and I was glad to see there were only two front doors in the hallway.

“This is the first penthouse of the two in this building. I understand you may have thought this unit occupies the entire top floor, but as you may have noticed, with the unique architecture and clever design…”

I tuned out. Yes, yes, two penthouses in the same building, preposterous! I didn’t really care about the neighbor for as long as he had nothing to do with my enemy. My interest in the neighbor dropped even more after Mr. Silas unlocked the double doors and dramatically pushed them both wide open.

And there it was, the beautiful apartment. It was empty already, and the air smelled like dust, telling me no one had lived there in a while. I suppose it was hard to sell such a place in this small city where nearly a quarter of the residents were college students.

Mr. Silas kept talking, but I hardly listened. Riley pushed me slowly through the rooms, giving me plenty of time to take everything in. I could see myself living there. It was far from the old-fashioned mansion I’d called my home for the past two hundred years, but since I didn’t really have any fond memories of that place…

Hell, this penthouse really wasn’t that bad. I loved the details, the modern look, the breathtaking views and especially the silence. I couldn’t think or find a single reason why I shouldn’t buy the place.

I couldn’t help but see the place as a fresh start. Maybe Riley wasn’t the only good thing that came out of this horrible incident, after all. Besides, I could not go back to my mansion, therefore I needed a new home.

And it was quite close to Riley’s campus.

After the tour was finished, Mr. Silas asked me to follow him to the kitchen, where he gave me a couple of papers to look at. I wasn’t really interested in the numbers or the little details, and I certainly didn’t care how much the upkeep cost a month. Small figures. The only good thing my family had left behind was their fortune with which I could now start building my very own life.

Something I had never even thought of doing before.

“Do you have any questions?” Mr. Silas asked after he was done with his little presentation.

I glanced at Riley, who gave me an amused look, then turned my attention back to the elf.

“Where do I sign?”